ARCS Model

Monitor: Robin

Description
This is theory explaining why people are motivated to learn - Presumably if they are motivated to learn they will learn more effectively.
There are 4 key areas that increase motivation to learn:

1. Attention
   (promoted through, active participation, variety, humor, incongruity of conflict, rich example, posing questions)
2. Relevance
   (promoted by establishing present or future worth, choice, links to previous experience)
3. Confidence
   (promoted helping students believe that they will be able to accomplish a task, providing clear objectives, feedback, learner control)
4. Satisfaction
   (promoted by providing opportunity to use knowledge, reinforcement (intrinsic or extrinsic)

Concrete Example(s)
Example 1 - Designing a Web-Page on a Topic Chosen by the Student (To be posted on the Web)
This kind of task would increase motivation in the 4 key areas described in ARCS.

• Attention through active participation and variety of web page design tools
• Relevance through allowing student to choose topic of web page
• Confidence by providing students the skills/resources to create a web page
• Satisfaction of completing a well designed personally meaningful web page and posting it on the web

WBLT Examples
Example 1 - Food Chain Gizmo(Robin)
Video Explanation
This Gizmo promotes motivation in three of the 4 ARCS components.

• Attention - through active participation, real world example, posing interesting questions)
• Relevance - link to student experience with animals and whether we survive or not
  (could be improved by providing an introductory video / reference to humans)
• Confidence - ease to use control with simple instructions - graph and visual feedback to help see interaction
• Satisfaction - maybe through visual feedback - no obvious external rewards

Example 2 -Light Reflection(Naseem)

• Attention: it has curiosity and attraction that motivate the learner.
• Relevance: it is linked to the way we view things through light reflection
• Confidence: it uses simple tools to accomplish the goal and understand the concept(Naseem)

Example 3 - Measuring trees(Audrey)

• Attention - visual stimuli are the trees and the ruler
• Relevance - student can make connections between trees, rainfall and circumference of the trunk
• Confidence - ruler helps student experience success because learner can very easily measure the change in height of the trees

Example 4 - Photosynthesis Lab(Mike)

• Attention: graphic, sound and experimenting with the controls
• Relevance: the conditions necessary for photosynthesis and how this relates to today's issues, for example deforestation
• Confidence: easy to use; results can be seen numerically and graphically
• Satisfaction: finding the minimum conditions that will produce the most oxygen (Mike)

Example 5- States of Matter(Elita)

• Attention: initial screen is static presentation but is followed by the second screen which is animated
• Relevance: provided by the **introduction** which briefly explains the purpose of the WBLT
• Confidence: easy to use

Example 6 - Flip Book Maker (Colin)
I'll get away from the Gizmos and put up another one that I found. A flip book maker.

• Attention: There is an animation that starts the page, and illustrates what your final product will be.
• Relevance: You can make anything you like. It's an open ended book makers, so the relevance will be personalized for each student
• Confidence: Very easy to use, simple interface, intuitive.
• Satisfaction: In the end, the student prints a hard copy of 'their' book. Satisfying I'd say.

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References

1. ARCS Model l described at Learning-Theories.Com
2. ARCS - Summary Sheet 1
3. Keller, J. M. (1987). Development and use of the ARCS model of motivational design.Journal of Instructional Development, 10(3), 2 – 10.